Spam musubi

Spam musubi is a popular snack and lunch food composed of a slice of grilled Spam sandwiched in between a block of rice, wrapped together with nori in the tradition of Japanese omusubi. Later on people got lazy and placed the spam on top of the rice instead of placing it in between the rice.

Spam musubi
Spam musubi made from Spam and rice
CourseSnack
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateHawaii
Serving temperatureHot or cold
Main ingredientsSpam, rice, nori, soy sauce
Spam musubi are commonly sold in convenience stores packaged in plastic boxes.

Inexpensive and portable, Spam musubi are commonly found near cash registers in convenience stores all over Hawaii. Musubi can be easily made with the right materials.

Spam has become so ubiquitous in Hawaii that Spam dishes range from the cheap and fast at 7-Eleven (which also sells sushi in Hawaii[1]), served on catering trays at formal events, to homemade Spam made by celebrity chefs such as Alan Wong at his exclusive restaurants.[2]

History

Spam became a popular food in Hawaii after World War II. Spam was a main course for the troops during the war, and the large military presence in Hawaii led to Spam's widespread local adoption. The dish was actually created in the Japanese internment camps on the mainland of the United States during the war although it is often credited to Hawaii because of its prevalence.[3]

Preparation

Typical preparation begins with grilling slices of spam, sometimes with a light teriyaki flavor. To make the sauce, 1/2 cup soy sauce (preferred flavored) and 1/4 cup granulated sugar using a 1:2 recipe. Then, an acrylic mold (you can use the can) is then placed over a long, narrow piece of nori and rice is pressed into the mold. The grilled spam is placed over the rice before the mold is removed. The nori is then wrapped over the top and around the musubi. It is served sometimes with soy sauce or Japanese mayonnaise.

Variants
Spam musubi with egg.

Similar to the Japanese onigiri, variations on the traditional Spam musubi exist.

The following are just a few examples of the limitless variations:

  • Furikake mixed into the rice
  • Scrambled egg added between the Spam and rice
  • Takuan added between the Spam and rice

The spam may also be replaced with hot dog, fried shrimp, chicken teriyaki, chicken katsu, pork cutlet, Portuguese sausage (linguiça), char siu (roast pork), or other proteins instead of Spam.

See also

References
  1. "Party Platters and Tailgate Packs". 7-Eleven Hawaii.
  2. Chew, Cynthia. "The Land of SPAM". The Food Pornographer.
  3. daniel (24 June 2015). "The History of Five Local Grinds". Hawaii Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
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